Текст книги "Twisted Ties"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

As I rolled my window down, I expected one of Ally’s neighbors to be there, waiting for me, so that they could yell at me for parking in front of their house. Instead, I stared at the face of a shocked Ally.

“What the fuck?” she shouted.

I froze as I stared at the person I hated most in the entire world. We’d never been alone together since everything had happened.

“I can’t fucking believe this! I thought I was nuts when I kept seeing this car every night when I came home. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Looking for Jesse,” I said defiantly. I knew I was busted, so there was no point in trying to lie.

“You’re pathetic. Did you really come all this way to find him?”

“Did you?” I asked. “Because I think you did.”

“Maybe I did, but at least I’m not parked outside of his house every night like a fucking psycho.”

“So, he does live here,” I said excitedly.

She’d given me the information I needed. Now that I knew he was here, there was no way that I was leaving without talking to him. She would have to beat me unconscious to keep me away.

“He does, but he doesn’t want to see you. I think you’ve hurt him enough.”

“I did hurt him, but I won’t again.”

I started to open my door, but she slammed it shut.

“Let me out of the fucking car.”

“No. I won’t let you go in there and destroy everything I’ve worked for.”

“What? Are you together now?”

“We are.”

I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. The moment I had seen Ally that day in the diner, I’d suspected something like this had happened. I wasn’t going to leave until I had the chance to talk to Jesse though. Maybe if he knew I was here, he’d leave her and come back to me.

“We’ll see if you are after I talk to him,” I said as I tried to open my door again.

Ally refused to budge.

“Move.”

“Not until you listen to what I have to say.”

“Then, spit it out, so I can go talk to him.”

“I’m pregnant!” she blurted out.

My mouth dropped open, and then I froze. “There’s no way. You’re lying.”

“I’m not. It was an accident, but there’s nothing Jesse or I can do about it. I have his baby growing inside of me.”

Forget being punched in the stomach. I’m going to vomit. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way that he could have slept with her after what she had done to us. She’d destroyed us, and she’d destroyed his friendship with Andy in the process.

“Do you really want to go in there and take my baby’s father from her? Because that’s what will happen if you do. Jesse will leave me for you, and I’ll be left alone to take care of this baby. You’ll destroy my child’s life.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening. How could Jesse have been so stupid? And how could I have been so stupid that I’d held out hope for a boy two years after he disappeared from my life? I was doing nothing more than chasing a high school crush while assuming it was true love.

I thought about the way I’d been raised. If I were to go to Jesse and he left Ally, I would be putting his child in the same situation I had been in. Ally was a spiteful bitch, and I knew she would never let Jesse see his child if he’d left her. His son or daughter would be forced to live with a manipulative bitch while his or her dad wasn’t around. I hated Ally, but I couldn’t do that to her child. It was innocent despite the circumstances surrounding his or her parents.

“This can’t be happening,” I whispered.

“It is happening. Look at my stomach.”

She pulled her shirt tight and turned sideways to show me the beginning of a baby bump. Bile rose in my throat, but I forced myself not to vomit. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

“I guess it is,” I mumbled.

“I won, and you lost. It’s time for you to accept that and go back to California where you belong,” she said with a triumphant grin.

I wanted to get out of my car and smack that grin right off her face. I wanted to so badly that my hand was on the door handle before I even realized what I was doing. I couldn’t believe that I was about to hit a pregnant woman. Dear God, I’ve lost my mind. I needed to get out of here and fast if I wanted to leave with my sanity intact.

“Move out of my way,” I said as I started my car.

“Leaving so soon?” she asked sweetly.

“Get the fuck out of my way, or I swear to God, I’ll make you move, pregnant or not.”

She laughed as I put my car in drive, and then I tore out of my parking spot.

Chapter Four: Emma

I knew Andy had to work tonight, but I hoped he was at home by now. There was no way that I could go back to my dorm room and sit alone while all of this was going through my head. I was hanging on to my sanity by a thread, and I knew that if I was by myself while dealing with this, I’d lose it.

I nearly cried in relief when I pulled into his apartment complex parking lot, and I saw his car sitting there. I didn’t have to be alone. He would help me. I ran across the lot, and in too much of a hurry to use the elevator, I sprinted up the stairs to his floor.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I beat on his door. I prayed that he hadn’t fallen asleep yet. I had a key to his apartment, but I hated to use it this late at night. I didn’t want him to think someone was trying to break in.

The door opened, and Andy was standing there. He took one look at me and pulled me into his arms.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” he asked.

I was crying too hard to speak, so I shook my head.

“Who’s that?” an unfamiliar female voice asked.

I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of him having someone over. I looked over his shoulder to see a pretty red head standing behind him. From the fact that she was wearing his shirt, it was obvious that she planned to stay the night with him.

“This is Emma,” Andy told her.

“Who is she? Is she going to be okay?” the woman asked as she looked at me warily.

Obviously, that my tears were making her uncomfortable.

“She’s…she’s my family. I hate to cut our evening short, but you need to go,” Andy said as he walked me over to the couch and pushed me down onto the cushions.

“It’s fine. You’ll call me?” she asked as she grabbed her pants off the floor and threw them on.

“I will.”

Not bothering to take off his shirt, she picked up her purse and walked out the door.

“I’m sorry.” I hiccuped. “I didn’t mean to ruin your night.”

“It’s cool. She was just a hook-up anyway. What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t look at him. I was ashamed that I’d held out so much hope for Jesse and me. I’d gone as far as moving clear across the country just to find him so that we could be together—and I’d dragged Andy along with me.

“Emma, come on, talk to me. Something obviously happened tonight.”

I took deep breaths as I tried to calm myself down enough to talk so that he could understand what I was saying.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start from the beginning.”

“I was waiting outside of Ally’s house again. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, someone was tapping on my window.”

“Shit, Emma. I told you to stop going over there so much. Who was it?”

“Ally.”

He muttered a string of curse words as he looked me over. “What happened? Did she hurt you?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t even make it out of my car. One good thing is the fact that I found out Jesse is living at the same house as her.”

“Was he home?”

“I think so. I never got out to check.”

He looked confused. “Why not?”

I stared at him as tears filled my eyes again. “I think congrats are in order. You’re going to be an uncle.”

“What are you talking—” His eyes widened. “No. There’s no way.”

“I saw her stomach. She’s pregnant. She also let me know that if I took Jesse away from her, I’d be destroying their family since it’s his baby.”

Andy dropped down to the couch beside me with his mouth hanging open. He was at a loss for words. I knew the feeling well. I waited as he processed the news. It didn’t take long before his look of shock changed to one of anger.

“So, let me get this straight. She ran away from home and came here to find him. Then, she goes and gets pregnant with his kid.”

“That pretty much sums it up.”

“I want to fucking kill both of them!” He stood up and started pacing the room. “How could she do this? How could he do this? She’s my fucking sister!”

“Maybe they love each other, Andy. It’s been a long time since either of us saw Jesse, and Ally barely spoke to you after Jesse left. You know nothing about either one of them now, and neither do I.”

“This is bullshit! Jesse never showed a bit of interest in her when we were all together. There’s no way that she came out here, and he got her pregnant in three months. If she’s already showing, then it would have had to happen right after she came out here!”

“I didn’t think to ask for the exact date, Andy,” I said sarcastically.

He looked guilty as he dropped down to his knees in front of me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just so fucking confused by all of this. I can’t even imagine how much you’re hurting right now.”

“I feel like someone ripped my heart out of my chest and stepped on it. I never expected this when I decided to try to find him.”

“Neither did I. What are you going to do now? Do you want to stay or go back home?”

“I have no home. I’m going to stay and finish this semester at least. After that, I don’t know. I was an idiot for focusing on finding Jesse and not planning for the worst.”

“You’re not an idiot. You thought that you’d find him, and everything would be okay.”

“Well, I’ve found him.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my tone.

“Do you plan on confronting him?”

“I don’t see the point. He has a family now, and I’d do nothing but screw that up for him.”

“I’m sorry that my sister put you through all of this. You’re a good person, Emma, and you don’t deserve this kind of hurt.”

“It was a long shot, and we both knew it. You tried to prepare me for the worst, but I didn’t listen. I’m just going to pretend like I never came here to look for him, so I can move on with my life. That’s all I can do. I need to forget him once and for all.”

He nodded. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. I found a decent job, so I’ll stay here for as long as you need me to.”

“That means a lot. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“You’re my friend, Emma. I’d do anything I could to help you.”

“I guess one good thing came from Jesse and me.” I smiled down at him. “I never would have met you if I hadn’t been with him.”

He grinned. “I am pretty awesome.”

We both stood and walked to the door.

“You can stay here tonight if you need to.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m going to go home and sleep all day tomorrow. You still have time to call your girlfriend back if you want to. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nah, I’ll have babies on my mind now. That takes all the fun out of it.”

“You always know just what to say.”

“I try, Emma. I try.”

* * *

I stuck to my word and spent the next day in bed. It was Saturday, so I had no classes to get up for. I knew I was moping, but I couldn’t help it. I’d had this whole plan to make things right with Jesse, and it had completely blown up in my face.

I couldn’t believe that Jesse was going to be a dad. Hell, I couldn’t believe that Ally was going to be a mom. She’d never struck me as the maternal type, and I hoped that Jesse would make up for her lack of parenting. There was no way someone as mean as her could be a good parent. It just wasn’t in her genes.

While it shocked me that Jesse was going to be a dad, I didn’t think that he’d be bad at it. I knew how much it’d hurt him that his dad had abandoned him when he was little. There was no doubt in my mind that Jesse would spend his entire life making sure that his kid never felt unwanted. I still believed that Jesse was a good person despite the situation he was in. Besides the time when I thought he’d cheated on me, I couldn’t think of a thing that I didn’t like about him. He was a genuinely good person.

* * *

The next morning, I forced myself to crawl out of bed. I hadn’t showered for two days, and I was starving. After showering, I pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top, so I could go find some food. The school cafeteria was closed on Sundays, but there were plenty of places to eat at in Morgantown.

I drove around town until I found someplace that didn’t make my stomach turn. Instead of going through the drive-through like I’d originally planned, I decided to go inside.

My hopes of being with Jesse were gone, and it was time that I started to move on. I didn’t care if it made me pathetic to start looking at a fast-food restaurant on a Sunday morning. I ordered my food and sat down at a table facing the entrance. That way, I could see everyone who came in as soon as they walked through the doors.

I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to find anyone unless I was hoping to get a date with an eighty-year-old man who liked to drink the tar they called coffee here. I sighed as I finished my food, and then I threw away my garbage. I didn’t even bother to look up as I walked to my car. I need a life.

I knew where Andy worked, so I decided to stop by and surprise him. He said that his boss was pretty easygoing, so I didn’t think Andy would complain if I stopped by for a few minutes to chat. I knew he was worried about me, and it would help put him at ease if he saw me freshly showered and out in the real world.

I drove downtown and parked in front of the building. A bell dinged above the door as I opened it and stepped inside. Andy was sitting on a couch with another guy, and they were watching an old football game that had happened earlier in the week.

“I see you’re working hard,” I teased when he looked up.

“Emma! What are you doing here?” Andy asked as he walked over to me.

“I thought I’d surprise you.”

“Well, you did. I’m glad to see that you crawled out of bed.”

“Is this your girlfriend?” the guy on the couch asked.

“Nah, this is Emma. Emma, this is Sam. He’s my boss’s younger brother.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sam,” I said politely.

“Likewise.” He looked at Andy. “Where have you been hiding her?”

I blushed as Andy rolled his eyes.

“Back off, jackhole. She’s like my sister.”

“Too bad,” Sam said as he stared at me.

I started to look away, but then I stopped myself. Wasn’t I just looking for a way to move on while I ate a hash brown?

Besides, Sam was kind of cute. He looked to be around the same age as me, too. His dirty-blond hair was styled messily, and his eyes were a pretty pale blue. He wasn’t as built as Andy, but Sam’s body suited him.

“Quit staring at her like you want to lick her. It’s nasty. I’ll say it again—she’s like my sister,” Andy groaned.

“Shut it, Andy,” I scolded.

“So, are you from around here?” Sam asked.

“Nope, Andy and I moved here from California together.”

“I should have known that you’re a California girl. You just have the look. Why the hell did you move from California to West Virginia?”

I glanced at Andy. “I just needed a change, and Andy did, too. Besides, I like West Virginia. People are so nice here.”

Sam laughed. “You’re nuts, but whatever. Do you go to WVU?”

“I do. I’m a freshman.”

“I’m a sophomore.”

“Cool,” I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

I was terrible at this. It had been so long since the last time I tried to flirt that I didn’t know how anymore. This used to come so naturally to me.

“I live with a couple of guys, and we’re having a party this weekend. You should come,” Sam said.

“She’s not interested,” Andy said.

“Ignore him. I’d love to come,” I said as I glared at Andy.

“Great. Let me give you the address.”

I ignored Andy’s disapproving glare as Sam wrote down his address for me.

“Thanks!” I said.

Andy grew more and more agitated as I talked with Sam. I knew Andy was trying to protect me, but it wasn’t his job. I had to move on, and I wasn’t going to waste any time.

After about an hour, I decided that I’d stayed long enough. Andy walked outside with me to my car.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Don’t play innocent, Emma. Why did you let him think you were interested?”

“Maybe I am!”

“Bullshit. Look, I know you’re hurting, but jumping to some guy who you don’t even know will not fix things. You need to take time to heal.”

“I’m tired of being alone.”

“You’re not alone, Emma. Besides, I never took you for one of those girls who needs a guy around constantly. You’re better than that.”

“I guess I am one of those girls. I’m so sick of being alone all the time. It’s been two years, and I think it’s time that I started trying to find someone who wants me, someone who doesn’t have a kid on the way.”

“So, what are you going to do? Sleep your way through Morgantown until you don’t feel alone?”

“I never said that! Just because I want to date doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with every guy out there!”

“You’re hurting, and you’re vulnerable. I don’t want you to do something you will regret later.”

“Like last time?”

His mouth dropped open.

I took the chance to get in my car and drive away. I hated fighting with Andy, but I didn’t need someone to tell me how to live my life. If I wanted to live like that, I would have stayed back in California with my mom.

Chapter Five: Jesse

“Hey, I’m leaving school. Is there anything that you want me to pick up for dinner?” I asked as I walked across campus.

“I don’t care as long as I get food,” Ally said on the other end of the line.

“Okay, I’ll be home in a few.”

“Love you, Jesse.”

I hesitated for a second before answering her, “I love you, too.”

I ended the call and continued to walk toward my car. It still felt strange to tell Ally that I loved her. I did love her, just not in the way that she wanted. I was trying my hardest to learn to love her, but it just wasn’t happening. I felt like a total asshole for not being able to, but it wasn’t something I could control. It was either there, or it wasn’t, and in Ally’s case, it wasn’t.

I sighed as I walked. My life was a fucking disaster. But then again, when hadn’t it been? For as long as I could remember, things were always tough—except for when I’d been with Emma. I stopped myself. There was no point in going there again. That part of my life was over, and I needed to accept it.

I continued across campus as I tried to get Emma out of my head. Since I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I glanced up to make sure I was still going in the right direction, and I stopped dead.

This is getting ridiculous.

I’d been thinking about Emma, and just now, I could have sworn I’d seen her walking a few people ahead of me. I shook my head. I needed to get my priorities straight. I had to figure out how the hell I was going to take care of Ally and a baby in a few months, not imagine that Emma was here.

The crowd of students parted, and I noticed the same girl again.

God, she looks so much like Emma.

Her hair was shorter, but other than that, she was identical from behind. Out of morbid curiosity, I followed her, keeping a few people in between us. She seemed to be headed in the same direction as me anyway. The more I stared at her, the more she reminded me of Emma. She even walked the same. She reached the parking lot before me and walked over to an SUV. Before I could stop myself, I called out Emma’s name. The girl froze for a second before turning to face me.

I nearly dropped my bag as I stared at her. It was Emma.

What the hell is she doing in West Virginia?

Unable to believe that I was really seeing her, I felt like I was in a daze as I walked slowly toward her. She stood there, frozen, as I approached. I raised my hand to touch her cheek, but she backed away.

“Emma?” I whispered.

She was really here. The girl who’d haunted my dreams for years was standing right in front of me. She had always kept her hair halfway down her back, but it was up to her shoulders now. Something else was different about her, too, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She was still my Emma, but something had changed. It took me a moment to realize that it was her eyes. Emma had always had an open heart, and her eyes were like windows into it. Now, they were closed off, like she had built a brick wall around herself.

“You look different,” she said quietly.

I guessed I did. I’d cut my blonde hair not long after I’d moved to West Virginia. Instead of it hanging around my face, it was now only an inch or two long. In the last two years, I’d also bulked up by lifting weights. I’d needed an outlet since I couldn’t surf, and it had been my substitute. Other than that, I still looked the same. At least, I thought I did.

“It is you. Shit. What are you doing here? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

“I need to go,” she said hurriedly.

Before I could stop her, she was in her car and driving away. My brain finally started functioning again, and I ran to my car. I tore out of the lot and went the same direction she had. I was afraid that I’d lost her in traffic, but I finally caught up with her about a mile down the road. I didn’t think she even realized that I was following her as she weaved in and out of the evening traffic.

She pulled up to an apartment complex, got out of her car, and ran inside. I didn’t think twice about following her as I threw my car in park and chased after her. She ran up the stairs and to the second floor with me not far behind her. She was far enough ahead of me that she managed to get inside apartment 2B just before I made it to the door. I beat on the door as I shouted her name. I had to know why she was here. There was no way that this was a coincidence.

I continued to beat my fist against the door for a good five minutes before it finally opened. I’d expected Emma, but instead, a shirtless Andy stood in the doorway.

What the fuck? Did someone throw me into the twilight zone today or what?

Andy looked exactly like he had the last time I’d seen him. Except now, Emma was cowering behind him. I had no idea why they were here together, but I intended to find out.

“Andy?”

“What the hell do you want?” he spit out as he glared at me.

It was obvious that his opinion of me hadn’t changed since the last time we’d seen each other.

“I want to talk to Emma. What are the two of you doing here?”

“You need to leave—now.”

“Not until I talk to Emma. I have a right to know why you two are here.”

“Stay the fuck away from Emma or else.”

“Fuck you. I want to talk to her.”

“Have it your way,” Andy said just before he pulled back and punched me in the face.

I stumbled back as Emma cried out. I pinched my nose to stop the bleeding as I stared at Andy in shock. He was no longer in the doorway. Instead, he was holding Emma as she cried.

What the hell is going on here?

When I’d left California, Andy and Emma had barely known each other. Now, he was holding her and comforting her as she cried. It almost looked like they were together.

I froze as I watched him kiss her forehead. Rage filled me. They’re together. They have to be. Absolutely nothing made sense right now.

“I thought I told you to leave. Don’t make me hit you again because I will,” Andy said as he let go of Emma.

Then, he slammed the door in my face. I stared at it for a minute before I finally turned and left. I walked back to my car in a total state of confusion.

I didn’t even remember driving back to the house that Ally and I were renting. One minute, I was walking to my car, and the next, I was walking through my front door.

“Hey! Where’s the food?” Ally asked cheerfully. She took one look at me and stopped dead. “What happened? Why are you bleeding?”

I sat down in the chair closest to me as I tried to process the last half hour of my life.

“Jesse! Talk to me! What happened?”

“Did you know?” I asked as I looked up at her.

“Did I know, what?”

“That Andy and Emma are here?”

“They’re here? I had no idea!”

I would have believed her if I hadn’t known her for so long. I knew her well enough to know when she was lying to me.

“I call bullshit. Start talking, Ally.”

She bit her lip as she stared down at me. “Okay, yes, I knew. I just didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you.”

“My best friend and my girlfriend are in town, and you decided that I didn’t need to know that little tidbit of information?” I asked incredulously.

“Ex.”

“What?”

“You called Emma your girlfriend. I’m your girlfriend now. She’s your ex.”

“Whatever. How long have you known?”

“A few days. I guess Andy figured out where I was, and he came after me. Emma came with him.”

“Why would she do that? They barely know each other.”

“Oh, Jesse, I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how.”

“Tell me, what?”

“Andy and Emma are together now. They have been since right after you left. I came home one night and found them.”

My stomach clenched. “Found them doing what?”

“I was mad at Andy for being mean to you, so when I heard him in his room with a girl, I stormed in to ruin his fun. I never expected it to be Emma.”

“What were they doing?” I asked again through clenched teeth. I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from her.

“They were naked. I’m sure you can figure out what they were up to. I never told you because I didn’t want to hurt you. Besides, it’s been two years since you were with her. I didn’t think you’d care.”

“You saw my best friend and my girlfriend together and didn’t think that I needed to know? Even after all this time, it still would have been nice to know.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jesse. I’ve just been so preoccupied with the baby that it honestly slipped my mind.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn’t process all of this. After two years of nothing, the three people I came here to escape decided to bust into my life and fuck it all up. First, Ally had shown up and begged me to help hide her, and now, Emma and Andy were in town. Nothing in my life was ever simple.

“Please don’t be mad at me. I’m so sorry,” Ally whimpered.

“I’m not mad. I just wish that you would have told me.” That was a lie. I was mad. I just wasn’t sure who I was mad at right now. I thought it was a tie between all three of them.

“I should have. I was just so focused on leaving before anyone found out that I was pregnant.”

“I get it. I do. This whole situation just sucks.”

“It does.”

“How did you know they were here?” I asked.

“They hunted me down and cornered me outside of work the other night. Emma can’t stand me, but Andy wanted me to come back to California with him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I stuck to the story that we’d agreed on. I told them that I was pregnant, and it was your baby. I said that I wouldn’t leave because you loved me.”

I buried my head in my hands. This was all so fucking complicated. When Ally had shown up on my doorstep a few months ago, alone and scared, I hadn’t thought twice about helping her. I just hadn’t expected her to ask so much. She’d stayed quiet for a few days before the truth finally came out.

“Jesse, I need to talk to you,” Ally said as she stood in the doorway of my bedroom.

I’d been listening to my iPod, but I’d paused it and set it aside. Ally hadn’t said much of anything since she’d shown up on my doorstep a few days ago. I knew something serious was going on, and hopefully, she was about to tell me what.

“What’s up?” I asked.

She walked into my room and sat down on the bed beside me. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Just start wherever you want.”

“You know that I’m hiding from everyone back home.”

I nodded.

“I’m doing it to protect them…and myself.”

“From, what?”

“I went to a party on the beach. It wasn’t with our usual crowd. Some guy invited me, and I decided that I would check it out. If I didn’t like it, I could go home. I didn’t know anyone, but everyone was nice to me, and I was having a lot of fun. I was drinking too much, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to party. I was about to graduate, and I just wanted to have a little fun before I had to go out into the big bad world.” She laughed humorlessly.

“A few of the guys there were older, like in their late twenties. They were part of one of the biker gangs that comes through town from time to time. I knew I should stay away, but there was one who seemed really nice. He went out of his way to talk to me. We hit it off really well, and I ended up staying most of the night. By the time the party started to end, I was trashed. He was sober, so he offered me a ride home. I’d never been on the back of a bike, so I told him yes. We told everyone good night, and he helped me onto his bike.”

I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I almost told her to stop, but I knew she had to tell someone.

“Instead of taking me home, he took me to that old motel next to the interstate. I told him I wanted to go home, but he said he was tired. I finally agreed to spend the night with him, and then he could take me home in the morning. Everything was fine at first. He wasn’t pushy or anything. He helped me into bed, and I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, he was on top of me, and my jeans were gone.”

She was sobbing at this point, so I sat up and pulled her into my arms. Ally was like my sister, and I couldn’t stand for her to be in so much pain.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened. I can figure it out.” I could barely get the words out. I wanted to rip this guy’s dick off for what he had done to her.

“He threatened to kill me if I ever told. I swore that I wouldn’t, and he let me go. I walked the entire way home. I tried to act like nothing had happened, but it was eating me up inside. A month later, I missed my period. I bought a bunch of tests, used all of them, and they all came back the same. I’m pregnant, Jesse. His baby is growing in me, and I want to throw up every time I think about it. I had to leave before anyone figured out the truth. If Andy found out, I knew he wouldn’t stop bugging me until I told him who the dad was. Andy would have gone after the guy, and he would have died. Those gangs don’t mess around. I couldn’t let my brother die just because I was stupid.”

I ran my hand across her hair, trying to comfort her. There were no words for how I felt right now. Someone had hurt Ally, and I wanted him to pay. I understood why she hadn’t gone to the police. The gangs ruled California. Even if they had arrested the bastard who had done this to her, one of his brothers would have come for her and everyone she loved.